Judith Jasmin Prize | Seven selections for La Presse

The journalists of The Press won seven selections for the Judith-Jasmin award. Eight photographers are also in the running for the Antoine-Désilets prize.

Lea Carrier
The Press

“This harvest gives me particular pleasure, because it demonstrates the importance of counting on well-funded newsrooms in Quebec,” declared the assistant editor of The Press, Francois Cardinal.

“I look at the nominations for the Judith-Jasmin awards, and I note that they almost all come from long-term reports, carried out on the ground outside of Montreal: in Vancouver, in Mexico, in Manawan, in Saint -Adrian, etc. “, he underlined.

This year, 155 journalists submitted 297 nominations in the ten categories of the prestigious Judith-Jasmin award, a competition organized by the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec.

The names of the finalists were announced Thursday. Seven reports from The Press compete in six categories.

Health journalist Ariane Lacoursière has earned a place in the “Major reportage” category for her dossier on home care in Denmark.

Chief Economic Investigator Maxime Bergeron is a finalist in the “Business and Economics” category for a report from Vancouver, where local authorities rejected the idea of ​​building an elevated metro in the heart of the city. In the same category, journalists Francis Vaille, Hugo Joncas and Katia Gagnon stood out for their series on the explosion of online gambling during the pandemic.

In the “Arts and Culture” category, journalist Émilie Côté won a selection for her article on the artist Pilou, who opened the doors of his studio to her…in the church of Saint-Adrien!

Investigative journalist Caroline Touzin is a finalist in the “Miscellaneous Facts and Criminal Matters” category for her report on a small Longueuil police team immersed in the population.

In the “Politics and Social Issues” category, journalist Fanny Lévesque and photographer Olivier Jean were selected for their disturbing report on the search for grieving Indigenous families in Quebec, where at least 200 Indigenous children have disappeared or died after being admitted to a hospital.

Finally, journalist Marc Thibodeau is in the running in the “Sports” category for his report on the death of Mexican boxer Jeannette Zacarias, after her fight against Marie-Pier Houle.

Let us mention the intern at The Press Philippe Robitaille-Grou, who was selected with his team for the show Discovery in the “Science and environment” category for their report on the origins of COVID-19.

The winners will be announced on May 7 at 7 p.m.

Featured photographers

The photographers of The Press were also honoured: they were selected in all categories of the Antoine-Désilets prize, which crowns the best press photographs of the year in Quebec.

“You have to have strong backs to bet on journalism of such quality, and to count on such a gifted and solid team of photographers, who shine every year at the Antoine-Désilets awards. And for all that, we can thank the generosity of our many contributors, ”reacted François Cardinal.

This year, 32 photographers applied in the seven competition categories, for a total of 228 entries. Olivier Jean and Martin Tremblay each obtained two selections.

Photographer Olivier Jean won a place in the “Photoreportage” category thanks to his work at the Charles-Le Moyne hospital. The report, “At the heart of Covidtown », Written by journalist Katia Gagnon, has also earned a selection for the prestigious prize of the Canadian Association of Journalists, whose finalists were also announced Thursday.

The Press dominates the “Portrait” category, where Marco Campanozzi is in the running, for his portrait of the aboriginal singer-songwriter Beatrice Deer, Olivier Jean for his photo of Jeannette Siméon, whose sister never returned from a boarding school native, and Martin Tremblay for his portrait of the Innu surgeon Stanley Vollant.

The latter also garnered a selection in the “News” category, for his photo of the historic floods in British Columbia.

Photographer Patrick Sanfaçon impressed the jury in the “Social Issues” category, for the poignant shot of a wall in the La Porte Ouverte shelter, covered with portraits of homeless people who died in the street.

In the “Sports” category, Bernard Brault is in the running with two photos taken during the Tokyo Olympics. Finally, Édouard Plante-Fréchette and Robert Skinner both obtained a selection in the “Daily life” category. Finally, Martin Chamberland is nominated in the “Arts and culture” category.